Working the ethereal side of the street is a risky business for musicians. If things get too wispy, the performance may seem slight. That, however, doesn't stop Tara Jane O'Neil and Nikaido Kazumi from keeping things on the dreamy end during this program of keenly sculpted abstractions. From whispered coos to plinked strings to fuzzed dissonance to thumping drums, the 13 tracks trickle along, offering a haphazard feel while simultaneously wooing with irrefutable design integrity. It's said that the Portland, Oregon-based O'Neil, with her math-rock past and freak-folk present, hurdled the language barrier by communicating with her Japanese partner using hand signals and sketched drawings. Sounds precious, but it certainly got the job done. O'Neil and Kazumi are in accord throughout, another reason their amorphous miniatures are so enchanting. There's something overtly twee about the novice vibe on the surface here — there are moments when the ladies sound like they're singing to themselves, not to an audience — but it ultimately reveals a valuable thesis: cleverly charted allusion can have just as much emotional clout as brash declaration. Prepare to spin a field recording from the inner sanctum.

Trans Am | What Day Is It Tonight? Trans Am Live, 1993 - 2008 Trans Am are distillers of guilty pleasures, mixing fat AOR riffs with sleazy electronic accents and a propulsive attitude typically reserved for arcade soundtracks. What Day Is It Tonight? covers the DC-area band’s 20-year history with high-quality, high-energy live cuts taken from their many tours.

Various Artists | Casual Victim Pile: Austin 2010 The notion that regional musical flavors exist independently in American cities is quickly becoming an archaic truism, seeing as how the world really is a stage these days, at least in the digital sense.

Avi Buffalo | Avi Buffalo Look, I get it: the last thing we need right now is yet another band who can be described as “sun-baked,” “reverb-soaked,” or even just “psychedelic.” But Avi Buffalo (I know! An animal name to boot!) are worth your attention for a few reasons.

KT Tunstall | Tiger Suit The KT Tunstall of Tiger Suit is tougher, louder, and more electronically endowed than the KT Tunstall of its poppy predecessor, 2007's Drastic Fantastic , and Eye to the Telescope three years before that.

The Birthday Massacre | Pins and Needles If you disregard the distorted guitars, the spooky sound effects, and the unapologetically gothtarded imagery, not much separates the Birthday Massacre from honest-to-gosh bumblegum pop.

TEN BEST BETS AT THE NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL | August 01, 2012 The Newport Jazz Festival has been on a roll these last few years, blending the commercial clout of big names with the creative cred of adventurous newcomers.

20 DISCS YOU NEED | December 21, 2011 Astoundingly intricate notions rendered with a glowing attack on this solo disc by the NYC pianist. Perhaps its real triumph is the array of approaches it brokers throughout the program — each distinct, yet related.

THE BEACH BOYS | SMILE | November 02, 2011 Never doubt the impact of whimsy as it applies to Brian Wilson's art. At the peak of his powers — 1965-'67, let's say — the Beach Boys boss was a sage arranger/composer and bona fide pop innovator.